Creating roles around sounds

Set it up

Think about sounds you usually associate with a particular person or group of people. For example, sirens usually come accompanied by police officers or fire fighters, the noise of steam and frying often means a chef or cook is nearby.

Running order

1. Ask the students if they associate any particular sound with any particular person or group of people. Tell them to write these down as well as any particular character traits they associate with these people.

2. Ask them to compare their ideas with a partner.

2. Monitor and provide language input to the students as necessary. For example, you may need to help them describe certain things these people do:

3. Tell the students you are going to play a sound effect and they should think what person might be associated with the sound or the environment it suggests. This might be something straightforward like associating a police officer with a siren, but it could equally be a tourist sitting in a coffee shop.

4. As the students listen, they should note down anything that will help them create a profile of this person.

5. Play the sound effect. If necessary, play the sound effect again.

6. After they have listened and written some notes about their character, tell the students to imagine they are now this person. Play the sound effect again and allow them time to visualise themselves in the situation.

Example of notes:

Person: police officer

Place: driving down the street, chasing a criminal

Action: driving, giving instructions over the radio

7. Ask the students to create a short monologue of what they are thinking as the person in the situation established by the sound effect. They can do this in writing but should prepare to read it out to the class or a small group of classmates.

8. Monitor and help with language as necessary.

9. Ask students to perform their monologues, with or without the sound effect in the background.

10. Vote on the best/funniest/most convincing monologues.

Remix

Ask students to create character profiles and then swap these before they create their monologues.